Surface mount device (SMD) packages can be used to house semiconductor devices and directly connect them to printed circuit boards (PCBs). A large number of electronic circuit designs have been integrating the SMD packages due to various benefits that the surface mount devices can offer. For example, in military and space applications (e.g., high performance vehicles, aircrafts, space shuttles and satellites) where high reliability is imperative, ceramic SMD packages can provide the robustness necessary in extreme or harsh environments, while offering benefits such as smaller size, lighter weight, and excellent thermal performance.
However, the popularity of the ceramic SMD packages has been somewhat hindered by the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) incompatibility of the SMD package and the PCB materials, and by the increasingly wider operating temperature demands. For example, when a ceramic SMD package is mounted onto a PCB with a large CTE, a CTE mismatch between the ceramic SMD package and the PCB may introduce thermal stress to the ceramic SMD package. The thermal stress can cause cracking of the ceramic SMD package, which can result in hermeticity loss of the package and damage to the power semiconductor devices and circuitry inside the package.
Accordingly, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a semiconductor package, such as a ceramic SMD package, that can substantially reduce fatigue and cracking of the semiconductor package due to thermal cycling.